1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us
is subject to
the same laws
of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels.
If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle
going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction
you can get in a curve depends on the
condition
of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration -- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Unless you have traction control and the system
is on, adding
the sudden acceleration can demand too
much
of those places. You can lose control. What should you
do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want
it
to
go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed.
Of course, the posted speeds are
based
on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to
go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed
as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through
the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady spied. Wait
to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than
braking. For example, you come over a hill and find a
truck stopped
in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out
from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked
cars and stops right
in fi-ont of you. You can avoid these
problems by
braking -- if you can stop in time. But
sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for
evasive action
-- steering around the problem.
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Your Pontiac can perfom very well in emergencies like An emergency like this requires close attention and a
these. First apply your brakes. (See ‘‘Braking in quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) It
is better to
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
remove as much speed as you can from
a possible turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
right depending on the space available. just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
,
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive ‘driving at
all times and.wear safety belts properly.
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Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
/ // e- LEFT APPAOX. QUARTER TURN
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn
until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then
turn your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around
the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on
a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and
to crossroads for situations that might
affect your
passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
hun or an intersection, delay youi pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it’s
all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even
if the road seems empty of approaching trS1c.
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a a Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting
an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your
area of vision,
especially
if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space
if the ’ ~
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep
back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass
is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
. . . -..increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
. 4, I y other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
- - -8 -“running start” that more than makes up for the
.~ ~ - .; -.: - 5;. :
. I %. ..
.. .. . > .-
a
distance-you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your
turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
a
a
a
a
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right
lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move back into the right lane. (Remember
that .*
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at
a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps
are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to
turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
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Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires
meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek
an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids
are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your Pontiac’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wh’eels
aren’t rolling.
In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force. And
in the acceleration ‘skid, too
much throttIe causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid
only the acceleration skid.
If you do not have traction control, or if the system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by
easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction
i,s reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material
is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will
be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide. You may not realize the surface
is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface” -- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only
the braking skid.
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Driving at Night Here are some tips on night dnving.
0 Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
gl&e from headlamps behind you.
slow down and keep more space between
you and
other vehicles.
0 Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
0 Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.
0 In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night driving is more dangerous
than day driving. One
reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired -- by
alcohol or chugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
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Night Vision
No one c8n see as well at night as in the-daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice
as much light to see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you
do in the daytime can also afTect your night
vision.
For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses.
Your eyes will
have less trouble adNsting to night. But if you're
driving,
don't wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on.glare from headlamps, but they also. make a lot
of things invisible. Keep
you windshield
and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse
by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle
and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light
up farless of a
roadway when you are
in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes
moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper
aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness -- the inability to see in dim light - and .
You can be temporarily blinddby approaching. aren't even aware of it.
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for
your eyes to readjust to the dark. when you
are faced with severe glare (as fkom a driver who doesn't
lower
the high beams, or a vehicle with mished '
headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring directly
into the approaching headlamps.
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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road,
you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on
dry roads.
And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction. It’s always wise
to go slower and be
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on
dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it
is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road
and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled. Replace
your windshield wiper inserts when they
show signs of
streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or when
strips of rubber start to separate from the inserts.’
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